Parking elsewhere when riding Ramapo

rojasj

Active Member
Does anyone know of another parking area that can be legally used if I want to ride around Ramapo State Forest and do a few loops around the lake and the trails near it. I like riding that area but the drive up Skyline drive kills my car.
 

gtluke

The Moped
Does anyone know of another parking area that can be legally used if I want to ride around Ramapo State Forest and do a few loops around the lake and the trails near it. I like riding that area but the drive up Skyline drive kills my car.
The bottom lot off 287 is the bottom of the blue trail. It's a 100ft section of hike a bike but not horrible.
 

rojasj

Active Member
The bottom lot off 287 is the bottom of the blue trail. It's a 100ft section of hike a bike but not horrible.
Dude really? I was told that this parking lot was for hikers only. Is it because of the 100 foot section of hike a bike?
 

gtluke

The Moped
Dude really? I was told that this parking lot was for hikers only. Is it because of the 100 foot section of hike a bike?

Hmm never had a problem. I guess technically a lot of those trails are hiking only but it doesn't seem anyone cares and there are no signs that I've seen.
That lot is used mostly by commuters during the week.
 

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I don't think anyone can declare a public parking lot for hikers only.

I think it's considered the hikers lot because @gtluke is right, and the trail in from there is hiking only. I don't think anyone really cares though, and I wouldn't let it stop you from parking there.
 

rojasj

Active Member
Well then I'm parking down there next time. I usually ride early in the AM, I'm on the trails by 7 am so any of whinny hikers should still be sleeping. :)

Reason being every time I drive up Skyline Drive I get this funky melting rubber / warm asphalt smell from the bottom of my Civic. I can't figure out the heck it is. My serpentine belt is fine, nothing is slipping nor over heating. Had the same funky smell in our Accord this past fall when we took our daughter to the Lakota Wolf Preserve and had to drive up a steep uphill climb. The only thing I can think of is that the engine is at 3500 rpm going maybe 35 MPH and the excessive heat is making the exhaust hangers heat up and stink?
 

gtluke

The Moped
Well then I'm parking down there next time. I usually ride early in the AM, I'm on the trails by 7 am so any of whinny hikers should still be sleeping. :)

Reason being every time I drive up Skyline Drive I get this funky melting rubber / warm asphalt smell from the bottom of my Civic. I can't figure out the heck it is. My serpentine belt is fine, nothing is slipping nor over heating. Had the same funky smell in our Accord this past fall when we took our daughter to the Lakota Wolf Preserve and had to drive up a steep uphill climb. The only thing I can think of is that the engine is at 3500 rpm going maybe 35 MPH and the excessive heat is making the exhaust hangers heat up and stink?

Slipping clutch?
 

KenS

JORBA: Director
JORBA.ORG
Public forum. Hiking only trail in a park that we have a really solid trail crew and solid relationship with the land manager. Our communities' advice is "no one seems to care if you ride there, go for it"?

People care, people notice, and some of them complain to park staff. Are they whiners or are we entitled and/or uninformed?

- That guy.
 

rojasj

Active Member
Public forum. Hiking only trail in a park that we have a really solid trail crew and solid relationship with the land manager. Our communities' advice is "no one seems to care if you ride there, go for it"?

People care, people notice, and some of them complain to park staff. Are they whiners or are we entitled and/or uninformed?

- That guy.
People care? Tell that to the person who took a crap on near the gate on Rye Cliff Road, those that walk their dogs on the trails and let them crap without picking it up or walk their dogs off leashes.
 

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
People care? Tell that to the person who took a crap on near the gate on Rye Cliff Road, those that walk their dogs on the trails and let them crap without picking it up or walk their dogs off leashes.

We don't play "that game" -
Ultimately, you make your own decisions, but as a community on a public forum, we don't advocate taking a bike on hiking trails.
 

The Squirrel

Well-Known Member
I hope this doesn't drift this thread too far off, but since I am someone who doesn't mountain bike (yet), could you walk your bike on a hiking trail until you access a riding trail?
 

gtluke

The Moped
Public forum. Hiking only trail in a park that we have a really solid trail crew and solid relationship with the land manager. Our communities' advice is "no one seems to care if you ride there, go for it"?

People care, people notice, and some of them complain to park staff. Are they whiners or are we entitled and/or uninformed?

- That guy.

You sure? I know I've seen signs on some trails in ramapo but I honestly can't remember seeing any on the blue trail. I've been parking there for years.

With Barbara drive parking closed and now this I'm not sure where I can park that's dog safe. I'm way afraid of TOS with the pup.
 

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I've never actually parked at that bottom lot and ridden that trail in, so I'm not sure if there are really any signs on it. I haven't been to Ramapo in a while, but I used to ride there a lot. I seem to recall that many of the trails have signs that only show a hiker, including trails built/rebuilt by JORBA. This leads many to wonder/question what trails we are allowed to bike on and which ones we aren't. There was a discussion about this fairly recently on here.

And you make a good point, @KenS.
 

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Most of the trails East of the lake to the lower lot are in Bergen County where mountain biking is not allowed. Parking your car with a bike attached to it and riding your bike on the trails are 2 completely different things doe. I haven't seen any rules against pulling your car into a state park lot with a mountain bike attached to it.
 

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Screen-Shot-2017-09-19-at-9.28.49-AM.jpg
 

gtluke

The Moped
Most of the trails East of the lake to the lower lot are in Bergen County where mountain biking is not allowed. Parking your car with a bike attached to it and riding your bike on the trails are 2 completely different things doe. I haven't seen any rules against pulling your car into a state park lot with a mountain bike attached to it.

doesn't look like it. The grey is Bergen and the colored is Passaic. Weird, but it's on the other side of the dashed line. Maybe because it's State Park?
check out those grey squares though, they designate those houses as Bergen but not the rest of the park. The parking lot and Blue trail are all within the green though.
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/gis/maps/passaic.pdf

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